Every End is a New Beginning
by Drowned-dreamer
Summary: Spec fic for S4 finale. Emma sacrifices herself and disappears. Now what? Looks like she's going to need a savior. Bit of angst, bit of fluff. CS all the way.


**A/N- reading spoilers for the finale = stress. So, in order to not freak out, I've written a little one-shot angst/fluff mix. It is largely based on several theories, speculations, and spoilers floating around out there, so if you don't want to know, please don't read.**

**However, if you are like me and need a little bit of reassurance, here you go.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. But if I did, I doubt I'd keep abusing them like Adam and Eddy do. **

Every End is a New Beginning

Of course, Emma's nightmare would have to be Gold's fault. Wasn't it always? Why hadn't she just stabbed the bastard in the chest when she had the chance? Now…now she was going to have to deal with yet another crisis. All because of him.

No one was certain how he did it. Maleficent and the Apprentice both claimed it had something to do with their recent exploit into the topsy-turvy version of the Enchanted Forest, and how turning Emma dark had resulted in him breaking his curse over the dagger. Thankfully, though, like always, his plans didn't quite turn out the way he wanted them to. Love really was just that amazing. And it wasn't just her that had saved everyone. Regina, Robin, her parents, Killian, Henry, and even Maleficent all played a part in restoring the natural order.

Still, he had released some sort of sorcery and in the craziness that ensued managed to free himself from the cursed blade's command. And of course it was bound to backfire. In fact, she was kicking herself for not noticing it sooner. Gold may have freed himself of the Dark Curse, that awful dark magic that had made him the feared sorcerer he was for so long, but it didn't just disappear. No, magic couldn't just cease to exist. It had to go somewhere. And the curse of the Dark One needed a host. A host with the potential for darkness.

And it found one in Regina.

…..

Emma, Killian, and her parents were just returning from their impromptu celebration at Granny's. They had ran into a nervous looking Will. That should have been her first clue, but just then, she caught sight of Regina, Henry, and Robin walking down the middle of the street together. Regina was smiling, her arms thrown around both of her boys. Emma grinned, feeling a sense of pride for making it through another curse.

"See, love," Killian whispered in her ear, "I told you. I've yet to see you fail. You gave her back her happy ending, just as promised."

Emma linked her arm around his and looked up into his blue eyes. They held such joy and pride for her, she was a bit speechless. She choose instead to nestle herself even closer to his side, sighing at how his warm body took away the last of the winter chill.

"Emma, do you want to go back to the loft tonight, or…" Mary Margaret asked shyly, and Emma suddenly remembered that she hadn't been staying with them for quite some time, not since she learned they had lied to her. The memory no longer hurt, however, and she gave her mom an understanding smile.

"Maybe not tonight," she replied, darting her eyes up to Killian's face. He remained impassive as ever, but she caught the slight raise of his brow and knew he was pleased.

To her relief, Mary Margaret only smiled back, also looking at Killian who was still pretending not to notice their exchange. She even gave Emma an encouraging wink. Emma's cheeks flamed, and she felt Killian readjust her so that he had his arm around her shoulder and his hand tangled up in her hair. Her heart soared, feeling free for the first time in ages.

And then, a heaviness seemed to fill the air. The wind picked up around her, like a storm approaching, and she looked up at the night sky. Even Killian and her parents stopped, looking up to see what was going on. Emma's skin prickled, her magic raising the flesh on her arms.

Suddenly, Belle was running towards them, screaming about something wrong with Rumple. Behind her, the Apprentice rushed to catch up. In her hand, she held Rumples dagger, and an eerie sense of doom settled in Emma's gut.

"Belle?" Mary Margaret asked, but Belle made a bee-line for Regina holding out the dagger hilt-first and begging her to help.

"Help with what?" Regina asked, looking quite worried about what was happening.

Before Belle could answer, the old man calling himself the Apprentice finally caught up, took one look at the dagger and shook his head sorrowfully. "He did it, didn't he?" He asked Belle, who merely nodded. The old man closed his eyes as if he was in pain.

"Did what?" Emma demanded. "Belle, what did Gold do?"

Once again the Apprentice jumped in with a quick glance skyward. "Rumpelstiltskin has severed himself from the blade. Isn't that right?" Belle nodded. "But I'm assuming it didn't work like he wanted it to."

"He lost his magic," Belle added, almost too quiet to hear over the roar of the wind.

The old man shook his head. "Not exactly. He severed himself from the curse. He is no longer the Dark One."

Regina shrugged. "Then what's the problem? I can't feel too bad for him for losing all his power. Especially after all he's been using it for."

With a sigh, the Apprentice explained. "The Dark Curse must have a host. The dagger must be attached to someone, or else all that wild, untamed dark magic will infect the town, causing complete chaos and destruction."

"What do you mean it needs a host?" Regina asked, her expression unreadable but grim.

He continued, "Someone must become the new Dark One. They must absorb all that dark power and keep it from running loose. And by the looks of the sudden change in weather, it must be done soon."

"I'll do it," Emma called without a moment's hesitation. After all, wasn't that her job as Savior? Wasn't that what she had accepted as a matter of fact? She held out her hand to Belle for the dagger.

"Emma, no!" Killian's anguished cry caused her resolve to waver. She squared her shoulders and held her resolution, even though her eyes were filled with tears. One day, he would understand. She had to do this.

"I'm afraid it's not that easy, Miss Swan," the Apprentice added. "Whoever takes this curse must have the potential for darkness. You, thanks to the efforts of your parents, do not."

Emma bristled at his statement, his words recalling too many recent painful memories. But he was wrong about one thing. She did have the potential for darkness. It was part of her deal with Lilly and Maleficent. She opened her mouth to argue, but before she could, Regina reached out and grabbed the blade from Belle's hand. "I think it's time for me to play Savior for once." She looked squarely in Emma's eyes, trying to hide her fear and be brave. "You've brought me my happy ending back, Emma. I think I can do this for you."

Emma turned from Regina and stared down the Apprentice. There has to be another way. We can't let her go back to the darkness.

The old man shook his head. "Maybe. The only thing that can combat this kind of darkness is love of the purest sort. Truthfully, I'm not entirely sure what will work. The nature of the Dark One's curse is a mystery even to me. Maybe if we could find the sorcerer…"

"We tried that already!" David called out. "We did everything we could think of, but he's gone."

"Well, maybe we should look again." Emma called out. "Regina, don't do anything until we get back. Robin, watch her and call if this dark curse thing attacks." She turned to her parents, Killian, and all the other members of the small crowd that were gathered together. "Come on, get everyone looking. Someone has to know something. Let's go!"

…..

It was only about half an hour later when Emma's phone rang.

"Emma, it's here. She says she can feel it. You have to hurry!" Robin's voice pleaded.

Emma flung her phone down and slammed her foot on the gas. Beside her Killian hung on to the door handle, but didn't question what she was doing. "Call my folks, tell them about Regina," she commanded, still driving like mad to get back to where she left Regina and Robin.

By the time they arrived, a black and purple mass was swirling above the street, descending downward like a tornado with Regina pinned underneath. One look and Emma knew it was already too late. Regina was shaking violently, as the glowing cloud began to attach itself to her. Even from this distance, Emma could see her eyes rolling back in her head, and without giving it another thought, she ran forward. Robin was standing about a foot away, trying to reach out for his true love's hand, but some sort of invisible field was preventing him from touching her. "Regina!" He cried out.

Emma lifted her hands, feeling the magic push back against her own. She felt a presence at her side, and knew it was Killian. She directed her magic and shot it at the purple mass, having no effect on it whatsoever. Regina was still struggling, but she looked as though she had regained some of her facilities. "It's sucking away the light…." Her eyes conveyed how hard this was for her, how much it was paining her to return to that dark place once more.

"Regina, hold on," Emma pleaded, but she could see how hard Regina was already struggling against it and how much it was costing her. Her face was contorted in concentration, and her palms were glowing with white. Already, though, she was faltering, the white light growing dimmer.

Emma stepped forward, also blocked by the force field, but kept shooting the mass with her own light magic. It helped minusculely, but she doubted it would be enough to stop it.

Regina looked up, pain filling her eyes, "Emma…" she said, and Emma knew she couldn't keep going. Regina's eyes turned to Robin's, and tears flowed down. "Robin…I'm…sorry."

"No. No. Regina this isn't your fault. Just hold on… please!" He begged, throwing himself against the barrier. Emma cringed at the sight, and she felt Killian's own arms go around her tightly.

Suddenly her parents ran up, sadness etched deep in their eyes. "Did you…"

"No," David answered. And like that, her mind was made up.

New resolution welled up within her. She spun around in his arms, her hand coming up to stroke against his cheek, while her other grabbed his and placed it on her heart. "Killian…" she pleaded, willing him to understand.

"There has to be another way," Mary Margaret cried, echoing her earlier statement.

"There isn't," she stated sadly.

He dropped his forehead to hers and for a moment, they both stopped breathing. He was always so good at reading her, she knew he had figured out what she was doing. "Please don't, Emma," he begged. His voice was so broken and desperate, her resolve nearly broke.

"I have to," she told him, clutching his hand to her heart even harder.

"No, Emma. Don't do this," his voice cracked, and his blue eyes were shining with tears. "Don't."

"Look after Henry," she pleaded, stroking her thumb against that tiny scar on his cheek one last time.

"Emma…"

"Killian, I love you," she said firmly, grabbing the back of his head and kissing him fiercely and finally. Then, before he could react she pushed him away _hard_, with her magic, so that he couldn't stop her.

Swinging around, she closed her eyes and focused her magic on the acquisition of the dagger, willing it to her hand from Regina's. As soon as she felt the weight of it in her palm, all the forces attacking Regina rocketed through her own body. She wavered on her feet, feeling the rush of magic flowing through her. At first, it was a strange, alien, _cold _feeling, kind of like jumping into the waters of Neverland.

Distantly, she could hear Killian and her parents shouting her name, but the roar of the dark magic in her ears was too loud. She clung to the dagger, her hand still raised in the air like a lightning rod. The wind whipped through her hair, big streaks of lightning illuminated the sky above. She couldn't breathe. It was too strong.

It was too much, but yet the surge of power felt…_good_. She kind of liked the way it felt. Like it was always meant to be there.

_No! _

She pushed those feelings violently away, struggling to hold out, but it was getting harder and harder to keep the darkness from taking over, but her own magic was lapping it up greedily, welcoming the darkness like an old friend. She knew it was only moments before she finally succumbed to its pull.

And then what? Turn evil, turn into the new Dark One and put everyone she loved in danger? She couldn't do that. Maybe she couldn't fight off the darkness (maybe she didn't want to) but she didn't have to stay here.

With the last of her coherent thought, Emma willed her magic to take her to another place. Somewhere where the Dark Curse couldn't harm anyone she loved. Instinctually, she knew that if she stopped fighting the darkness, she would have enough raw power to cross realms. With this act, she was willingly conceding to her role as the new Dark One.

With one last look at all that she was leaving behind, she stopped fighting. As the darkness settled in to its new home, she felt her body torn apart, the world disappearing into a brilliant flash of white.

…

_Six months later_

It was a strange thing, being the Dark One. Emma had expected to feel more…well, _evil_, then she actually did. Truthfully, she pretty much felt the same. Of course, there was a lot more magical knowledge inside her head, but her heart basically still felt the same. Maybe. Possibly. She wasn't about to find out. Ever since her arrival, she had kept to herself, deciding it was better for everyone if she never had to put it to the test. Maybe if she never used her magic, she could keep the darkness at bay. Well, so far, it seemed to be working.

She really had turned into an optimist.

Running her arms along her body, Emma let them come to rest on her stomach, and let her mind go back to that day with Killian at Granny's Diner where he had asked her that same question.

God, she missed him more than she thought possible. She missed them all.

Busying herself around her little cabin, she tried not to think about everything she had given up. It was pointless. Nothing could change what she had done. She would be the Dark One for as long as…well, _forever. _

_Forever alone, _the story of Emma Swan's life.

It wasn't like she was going to make any friends here. First, she doubted anyone would find her here in her little cabin in the woods, and she was always cautious on her excursions outside. And second, when she did travel to the nearby town, she always kept to herself, avoiding people, and staying hidden in an old cloak.

Still, six months is a long time without any human contact, and occasionally she felt the need to hide herself at the local tavern so that she could hear the local gossip and get a sense of what was going on in this realm. She still couldn't believe she ended up in Camelot of all places. At first, she had been secretly thrilled, being a fan of Arthurian legends. But as she explored this realm and listened to the people, she quickly caught on that this Camelot was a lot more brutal and unfriendly than she had ever imagined.

No, it was a good thing she didn't need friends. It was probably for the best anyway. Wouldn't want to accidently turn someone to ash or something. Isn't that what Dark Ones did? At least here, she was safe away from hurting the people she loved. No sense in tempting fate, right? Especially not now with the…

She shook away her stray thoughts. It wouldn't do to keep dwelling on her loneliness. But it was getting harder and harder to push those morbid thoughts away.

Going into town helped. Even being around other people she couldn't talk to made her feel like a part of something again. And it might have been the only thing keeping her sane. Well, maybe not the only thing. And maybe she wasn't as alone as she thought she was either. Emma's hands once more encircled her waist, tightening around her body as if they belonged to someone else.

She couldn't stop dreaming about him, the way he would hold her, look at her, make love to her. When she was awake, she wouldn't allow herself those thoughts, but at night, her mind refused to cooperate.

Against her will, she had also kept imagining him showing up for her in the most random ways.

Like yesterday, when she had gone into town, most of the talk had centered on the arrival of a strange new knight to the land. It was said he was searching for something and that he was quite relentless. No one had seen his face, but many had seen him riding over the land dressed in black armor on his grey steed. The rumor mill had said he was working for Mordrid and was searching for an evil sorceress to help him battle the King.

Emma couldn't help but imagine it was Killian, riding across the lands, searching for his Swan. It was ridiculous and absurd. As far as she knew, Killian couldn't even ride a horse, much less pretend to be a knight on a quest. Yet, a small part of her wanted to believe it so bad, she felt the need to run before her face betrayed her emotions. So she returned home, the walk into town taking more out of her than she had realized, as most things seemed to these days, and collapsed onto her bed. As she drifted off to sleep, she let her mind wander where it would, and her hand drifted down to cradle her belly.

In her sleep, she whispered the same words she had been saying every night for many months, "Someday baby, someday we'll get our happy ending back."

…..

After she had thrown off all of her immediate sadness, Emma turned her thoughts back on the task of making breakfast. It had taken her a while to master using the hearth instead of a stove, but she refused to use her magic to help. She didn't want to be tempted to take the easy way every time. Besides, what else did she have to do? So, little by little, she found herself acclimating to this world, and she even caught herself enjoying the challenge of surviving on her own.

_No, not completely on her own_, she reminded herself. There was the life growing inside of her that she had to think about. Some days, it was all she thought about. All she had left of Killian. And despite all her worry about whether the Dark Curse would affect the child, or whether she could be a good mother as the Dark One, and how she was going to have a baby completely alone, she was overjoyed with the unexpected blessing. This baby meant _everything _to her.

Suddenly, the baby began to kick up a storm. "Easy there, baby!" She laughed. "You're going to make mommy hurl and mommy definitely doesn't like that." As if understanding her words, the kicking died down, but Emma was left with a lingering sense of joy and excitement she couldn't quite explain.

"What's got into you?" She mumbled as she pulled the kettle away from the fire. She poured the hot water over a bowl of oats and stirred it up. She had found some berries in the woods by her cabin a few weeks ago and had been drying them in the sun for days. They added a nice sweet-tart flavor to her morning porridge and she felt another little sense of pride at what she had accomplished.

Just as she was settling in to eat her breakfast, a knock at the door startled her. No one should be knocking, no one should even know where she was.

The baby moved suddenly inside her, launching her forward with a jerk. Apparently, the baby really wanted her to find out who was at the door. She tamped down on the memory that sprung up of another knock upon another door in another life. But she couldn't let the hope that it was Killian standing outside take root in her heart. It would be far too painful when it turned out to not be true.

Grabbing her cloak, she pulled the hood up over her face, and hid her growing belly in its folds. Then, she carefully opened the door. Whatever she was expecting, a tall, armor-covered figure was not it.

Whoever was wearing the metal suit was turned around, as if he (or she) was getting ready to leave. Upon hearing the groan of the door, however, they turned back, the armor clinking and groaning.

"Pardon me," came a low, muffled voice. The man's face was hidden behind a helmet with a peaked nose and Emma found herself wondering how he could see anything in that. "I'm looking for a…" his voice cut off suddenly, "…Emma?" He whispered as if unsure.

No. It couldn't be… He couldn't…

"Killian?" She asked, trying to keep her voice from breaking. Suddenly, he was reaching up to yank off his helmet and then, there he was, her beautiful, _beautiful _dark-haired pirate. His blue eyes (and _god, _how she had missed those eyes!) blinked rapidly with filling tears. Without hesitation she launched herself into his arms, and despite the heavy, unyielding layers between them, she swore she could feel the pounding of his heart.

"Emma!" He cried, the tears now streaming down his cheeks. "Gods, at last!"

She pulled back slightly, her hands caressing his face, trying to reassure herself that this was not a dream. "You found me," she said with a soft sigh and a timid smile.

He beamed back at her, a cheeky grin fully in place. "Aye, lass. Did you ever doubt I would?"

She stifled a giggle, which turned quickly into a wail, and then into a full-blown melt-down as she felt the true weight of her loneliness crash into her at once. Her knees wobbled and her breath just wouldn't come. Killian immediately scooped her up in his arms and carried her inside, gently depositing her on her bed/sofa. Once inside, he began unlatching and shedding layers of the armor, desperate to get close enough to her to offer her comfort. She continued to sob, unable to stop herself, blaming it on her hormones. "Ah, lass, shh. It will all be alright," he murmured soothingly, stroking her hair with his good arm wrapped around her.

When at last the tears subsided, she exhaled slowly and looked up into his eyes. "Killian…I missed you," she admitted.

His movements stilled as he turned his gaze full upon her. She could see the dark circles and new lines under his eyes and she knew instantly that he had missed her every bit as much as she had missed him. "Emma…I have missed you more than words can express," he replied, falling to the ground in front of her feet. He pressed his cheeks to her knees and clung to her, as she threaded her fingers through his hair soothingly. How long they stayed like that, she was never certain, but it was at least until his own tears had stopped flowing and her head had convinced herself that this wasn't a dream.

Finally, he climbed up to join her on the bed and pulled her snuggly into his arms. "I'm never letting you go again, love. Never."

She shuddered at his words, but they soothed over the ache in her chest. "Killian. What are you doing here? How did you get here?"

He sighed, but adjusted her contentedly against his chest. "It's quite the tale, love. But I owe a lot to your parents. They helped me contact Ariel, who spoke to Ursula, who opened the sea portals so that I could cross the realms. And with Regina's magic, she enchanted this compass," he said, as he pulled out a familiar looking compass from inside a pouch tied to his waist. She ran a finger around the edge and smiled up at him. "It always points me in the direction of home," he said quietly.

A shiver of affection ran up her spine. "Killian…" she started, not even knowing how to reply, as the tears threatened again. Damn pregnancy hormones!

_Oh shit! The baby! _Between her cloak and the thick layers of his own clothes, he hadn't yet noticed her stomach.

As she looked up into his eyes, wondering how to tell him, she got lost in the depths of his warm blue eyes and the way he was looking at her with such devotion. Before she could blink, he had darted forward, capturing her lips, and branding her with his heat. She moaned and tugged him closer as he suckled her mouth. God, she had missed _this_, this fire he could ignite in her soul that could burn away the coldest nights. It was strange, too, as she thought she could even feel the baby being affected by the kiss. It was moving around like crazy.

She pulled away, sucking in breath, and watched him try to compose himself. She smiled at his hooded eyes and still-puckered lips. "I love you," she blurted out suddenly, and the resulting smile that took over his face had her heart soaring. "I love you," she repeated, almost like now that she had finally admitted it, she couldn't stop saying it. "I love you."

"And I love you, Emma," Killian replied breathlessly. They collapsed against each other, forehead to forehead so that they could still look into each other's eyes. Neither one wanted to spoil the moment. Neither could let the other go first.

"Darling," Killian sighed against her cheek, "as much as I am enjoying this reunion, I came here to get you home."

An icy shiver crept down her spine. All of the reasons she had fled in the first place came rushing back. "I can't go home, Killian. I'm the Dark One, now. What if I become like Gold? Or worse? I can't take that chance! I can't put anyone in danger."

For some reason, Killian merely smiled at her. She glared at him, wondering why he wasn't taking this more seriously. Suddenly, he stood up. "Come with me, love," he said, holding out a hand for her.

"Why?" She asked carefully, crossing her arms.

He just smiled bigger, his eyes lighting up. "Don't you trust me, Swan?"

She sighed. "You know I do."

"Then, let me show you something," he requested, his hand still waiting for her own.

She bit her lip, uncertain about what he wanted, but she realized that she had been telling the truth. She did trust him. Slipping her hand in his, she followed him out the door. Continuing her old habit of blurting out the first thing on her mind when she was anxious, she said, "So, what's with the armor? Couldn't find your pirate clothes?"

Killian looked back at her and his cheeks flushed. He scratched at his ear with his hook. "Swan, the people in this realm don't have any sodding respect for pirates," he spat out in offense. "I needed a way to get people to help me, and it didn't take me long to figure out that if they think you are a knight, they tend to be more obliging." He continued on down the narrow path leading to the woods.

Emma chuckled, and wrapped her cloak around herself against the wind. "You know, though, that the rumor has it you're working for Mordrid. He's a dangerous man."

He shrugged. "You know how rumors are. Complete bollocks. Although, I guess it could be the ponce I took the armor from. He was a right git."

She laughed heartily at that and it caused him to stop and pull her in close. "I've missed that sound, love," he cooed, swiping the hair from her face.

Swatting playfully at his arm, she pushed him forward, "Come on, then Sir-Boasts-A-Lot. Let's see what you've got to show me."

Even though she hadn't meant it to sound suggestive, he growled into her ear. "Love to. Later."

She shook her head at him, trying to ignore the sudden rush of heat through her body, as he continued on the way. When they reached a large grey-speckled stallion tied to a tree, Killian stopped short. Emma walked over to pet the gentle creature and he nuzzled into her palm. "You know, Killian, I never knew you could ride a horse. I kind of have a hard time picturing it, actually."

He was undoing the straps to a satchel attached to the back of the saddle. "Aye, there's quite a lot of skills I possess that you are not aware of yet, Swan, but I would be most happy to demonstrate my abilities any time you require." He winked at her then and she felt her cheeks grow hot. Her heart thundered away with how much she had missed all his little innuendos.

Her hand fell to her stomach, where she stroke the little bulge unconsciously. His innuendos definitely wasn't the only thing about him she missed.

"Here, love. Take a look." He pulled out a cloth-wrapped object from the satchel and held it out to her.

Immediately, she sensed what it was. She shook her head and backed up, "No. I don't want that."

"Swan," he pleaded softly. "Please, trust me."

Biting at her lip, she took a hesitant step closer, and with his hook, he began unwrapping the object from the cloth.

Inside, the silver dagger gleamed back menacingly, mocking her with its cold indifference to her plight. She looked up at him, but he held her gaze and drew her forward. "Emma, _look _at it."

She came closer still, taking in the strange curved edge, the way the intricate scroll work was etched into the metal. But there was something wrong. "There's no name on it," she shuddered.

"Aye. That's right, but more specifically, _your_ name is not on it."

She shook her head rapidly. "But that's not possible. I took the dagger. I took the Dark Curse. I am the Dark One now. I know it, I can feel it inside me."

He recovered the dagger, holding away from her sight, waiting for her to calm down. "That may be, love, but there is something you should know. Before I left, I talked with the croc…_Rumpelstiltskin_, about the Dark Curse and this dagger. He told me that it was always called a dark curse because every single Dark One who took possession of the magic you did, started by taking a life. Darkness begetting darkness. But not you, Emma. _Think, _love. You didn't kill to take those powers, you took them to save Regina. You may possess a great magic now, love, but it is no different than the magic you possessed before. It's up to you to use it for good or for evil."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing, and yet, she knew it was true. It made sense now, how she had been waiting to feel the darkness creep over her, but it never did. Could it be possible that whatever she had done hadn't changed who she was? Was she still just _Emma_? "I'm not evil?"

"No, love, of course you aren't." Killian grabbed her and encircled her tightly, nuzzling into her hair. "You are beautiful," he accentuated with a kiss to the top of her head, "wonderful," _kiss _"brave," _another kiss_ "brilliant, and all I could ever want. And…" he halted his litany of praises and kisses quite suddenly, as a concerned look crossed his face. "Emma?" His tone shifted into concern.

She was still so dazed from his breathless kisses and soothing reassurances that she hadn't quite been paying attention to anything else he was doing. Like how he was moving his hand and hook under her cloak and over her stomach. "Love, I know it's been a while since we've seen each other, but…"

Just then her brain kicked back into gear. "Oh…I, um…." She stuttered awkwardly.

"Swan? Is there something I should know?" His face was a schooled mask of indifference, but she clearly recognized the look of a man preparing to hear terrible news. Did that mean he didn't want this?

Emma closed her eyes, preparing herself for his reaction. "Killian… I'm… going to have a baby."

His wandering hand stilled upon her belly, as just then, the baby began to kick. He pulled his hand back suddenly as if burned, his face a mix of surprise and wonder. "Bloody hell! You really are!"

Suddenly, she realized why he had looked so worried. He had thought she might have met someone else in their time apart. Given that the last time they were separated, she was proposed to by a flying monkey, she really couldn't say his fears were unfounded. But one look at his adorably confused face and she couldn't hold herself back any longer and she started to laugh.

"Killian, I'm having _your _baby," she corrected.

His eyebrows shot to the moon and his mouth hung open. Like a fish out of water, he gaped at her, his hand trembling as it reached out. She could see the mix of hope and disbelief flashing in his eyes. "That is my child? You are carrying my child?"

She giggled again, grabbing his hand and placing it firmly back upon her stomach. "Yes, Killian. I didn't know it when I left, but it is definitely yours."

"Ours," he corrected, a slow smile spreading over his lips and igniting his eyes. Without warning, he grabbed her up and swung her around, latching onto her mouth for a hungry, happy kiss.

The moment ended far too soon, and Emma felt like she had just been granted her dearest wish. There was only one thing that could make this day better. "Killian? I think I'd like to go home now."

He nodded eagerly. "Aye, there are many who have missed you, love. We shouldn't keep them waiting."

As Killian turned to prepare the horse for their departure, she thought about all of them—her son, her parents, her friends. There was so much that had changed in her life even since the last time she had left the town. At that time, she couldn't wait to get back to New York, now, she couldn't dream of being happy any other place. Unless it was in _his_ arms.

"Swan," Killian said suddenly, as if lost in thought, and stalling from adjusting the saddle on his horse for a moment. "I believe that I may have been a bit hasty in calling you my happy ending."

She frowned and looked at him in shock. _"What?"_

He chuckled and grabbed her hands reassuringly, peering deep into her soul with those impossible blue eyes of his. "All I meant, Emma, was that until this moment, I never realized that _this,_" he placed both of their hands on top of her bump, "could be my happy ending, too."

Just as before when he had made such a grand declaration, she melted at his words. Pulling him closer, she swayed into his arms and allowed him to rest his head against hers. "You know, I've never liked the thought of a happy ending."

He quirked a brow at her and she smiled into his waiting lips. "Killian, I think that this might just be our happy beginning."

_The End_

_….._

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